Hi everyone, it's time for a new episode of News Bites…

I'm Paz Bueno.

And I'm Brody Halverson.

Today's stories…

New Taipei's Circular Line won't be fixed for a while, fishermen from Micronesia get creative, and brains get smaller and smaller.

Stay tuned for these stories, coming up next!

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新北環狀捷運線維修 需要一年

New Taipei Metro Line Needs a Year of Repairs

Why were you late today?

I was waiting for you at noon, to help me do News Bites!

Sorry. The metro line (捷運線) is still broken, so I had to ride my bike.

You mean the New Taipei Circular Line (環狀線)?

The one that was damaged in the earthquake?

Yes. Part of it is still closed for repairs (維修).

And now they say it will take more than one year to fix.

What's going on with that metro line?

It all started on April 3rd.

That's when we had the huge earthquake (地震).

Hualien was the worst hit, but we still felt strong shaking in New Taipei.

After that quake, people in Banqiao and Zhonghe Districts noticed something strange.

They looked up at the elevated metro line, and saw parts of it had moved.

他們抬頭看到捷運高架橋，發現部分路段軌道已經移動。

The sections of the bridge weren't lined up anymore.

Oh my goodness.

So did the next train go flying off the rails?

Thankfully it did not.

還好沒有火車出軌。

As soon as the earthquake started, all the trains in the area automatically stopped.

It's one of the metro's safety features (安全功能).

MRT staff helped people off the stopped trains, and walked with them to the nearest station.

That's why nobody on the trains was seriously hurt.

But the damage to the line is still serious.

The rails (鐵軌) moved 20 to 92 centimeters in seven different places.

Now the Mayor of New Taipei has met with engineers (工程師).

He says the repair work will take at least a year.

How come it takes so long?

Not only do they need to fix the damaged structures…

…they also need to find out why the damage happened.

All railways should be able to withstand (承受) this kind of earthquake, but the Circular Line did not.

Was there a mistake with the design, or with the construction?

倒底是設計還是施工錯誤？

The engineers will find out.

And until they do… you'd better find another way to get around.

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小島上的漁民獲救

Fishermen Saved From Tiny Island

What if you got stuck on a desert island (荒島)?

A little island in the ocean with nobody else living there.

I think I would survive, no problem.

沒問題，我會活下去。

Yeah, right. You wouldn't last a day.

是嘛，你連一天都活不了。

Besides, even if you did survive, could you ever escape from that island?

That's just what happened to three fishermen in the Pacific Ocean (太平洋).

They found a creative way to ask for help, and they were rescued (獲救).

How did they get stranded in the first place?

It started when the three men went out fishing.

They left their home island in Micronesia (密克羅尼西亞) on a motorboat.

When the seas got rough, water got into the motor, and it broke.

So the men had no choice but to paddle to a nearby island.

The island was so tiny that nobody else lived there.

Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard (美國海岸防?隊) had launched a search for the missing men.

They used planes to search an area of 78,000 square nautical miles.

They had searched for a week when one of the planes spotted a message on an island.

There were four letters on the beach, spelling "H - E - L - P".

The fishermen had used leaves from palm trees to spell out the word.

Then, they had to survive by eating coconuts (椰子), while they waited for someone to see their message.

Their creative thinking saved their lives.

他們很有創意的想法救了他們一命。

The US Coast Guard sent a boat to pick the men up.

What's more, the fishermen found one of the Coast Guard members could speak their local language.

It turned out the Coast Guard member was their cousin.

It was an amazing coincidence (巧合), and added to the joy they felt at being rescued.

You might say these fishermen had terrible luck (厄運), to get stranded like that.

Or you might say they had great luck (幸運), to get saved.

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So, in today's News Bites…

The big earthquake damaged a metro line in New Taipei.

Part of the Circular Line is closed now.

Engineers say it will take more than a year to fix.

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And,

Three fishermen were saved from a desert island.

The men survived for a week by eating coconuts.

They used leaves to spell out the word "HELP", which led to their rescue.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

As you grow older, your brain starts to get lighter.

Some scientists say, from the age of twenty, it loses about a gram each year.

This happens because some brain cells die and are not replaced.

If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [email protected], and you might hear it at the end of an episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!